Sergio Martinez doubts Pacquiao will be the same after KO loss

By Chris Williams: WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez says he felt sad to see Manny Pacquiao knocked out cold last December by Juan Manuel Marquez because he saw it as a potentially dangerous thing for him. Martinez believes it’s going to be really tough for Pacquiao to come back from the knockout due to how serious it was.

Martinez said to Jenna Jay at Doghouseboxing.com “I don’t believe no fighter can be the same after that type of knockout because it was so serious…he’s [Pacquiao] probably not going to be the same person because of how devastating it was.”

What Martinez is saying about Pacquiao possibly not being the same fighter after his KO loss to Marquez has been echoed by a number of top fighters and former great fighters in the sport. They believe Pacquiao’s ability to take hard shots may have been compromised by his hard knockout loss.

Getting knocked completely out the way Pacquiao is something that could change the way he fights from now on. Pacquiao has always fought in an aggressive style during his career, but he may not be willing to risk fighting that way after his loss to Marquez for fear of being knocked out again.

If you change Pacquiao’s fighting style to a less aggressive one then it’s going to be difficult for him to find the same success that he had before. What made Pacquiao so good in the past was his nonstop attacking style of fighting. If Pacquiao fight like that anymore than he’ll likely be much less effective.

Then, there’s also the question of whether Pacquiao will be able to absorb hard shots without getting knocked down or knocked out. We’re going to find out soon whether Pacquiao can still take a hard shot when he gets back in the ring in September. If he gets knocked cold again, then you’ll have to suspect that his ability to take punishment may have been compromised by his vicious knockout loss to Marquez.

We’re not sure who Pacquiao will be facing in September because Marquez is no longer interested in fighting him any longer after having thought it over with his friends and family. Marquez will be turning 40 soon, and he doesn’t feel the need to fight the Filipino a fifth time.

If Marquez doesn’t take the fight with Pacquiao in September, then Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum will likely look to match Pacquiao up against one of his Top Rank stable fighters. Arum recently mentioned wanting to match Pacquiao against Bradley in a rematch in 2014, but that fight could take place in September instead of Marquez is out of the picture. Bradley can’t punch, so he’d be the perfect opponent for Pacquiao’s first fight after his KO loss.

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